What is GWM Worlds 2?
GWM Worlds 2 is Runway's second-generation world model, released as a research preview on September 3, 2026. Built on Runway's audio-video generation model, it streams continuous 720p video at 24 FPS together with 48 kHz audio and responds to your inputs as you explore. Sessions have no preset length: the world simply continues from each new input.
It succeeds GWM-1 Worlds, part of the GWM-1 family Runway introduced in December 2025 alongside GWM Avatars and GWM Robotics.
WorldPrompt: what persists and what changes
Runway's key idea is a control format called WorldPrompt, which splits a world into two layers. The persistent layer is a genesis prompt describing the scene — layout, materials, lighting, ambient sound — the subjects that can take part, with their attributes, and the laws that govern behaviour, from gravity to character abilities and camera perspective, plus a first frame.
On top runs a timestamped event stream: free-form text actions, each addressed to a specific character or to the scene itself — a sword slash, a line of dialogue, a campfire flaring, a room flooding with water. Actions can overlap, so two characters can hold a conversation while the weather changes around them.
Playing, directing and multiplayer
You can navigate in first or third person — walking, driving, riding — with camera and character controlled independently. In the demo, keys and mouse buttons are bound to ready-made action prompts, and an LLM assistant can author a whole world, from first frame to key bindings, out of a one-line idea. Several people can join the same session with different roles, one per character plus a “director” who reshapes the world, and AI agents can take the controls too, which makes it a training and evaluation ground for agents.
Limitations and access
Runway is open about the trade-offs: real-time generation still costs fidelity, very fast camera turns can degrade textures and geometry, and long-term memory is imperfect. It also notes that getting the most out of text control may require an external system that tracks the state of the world and generates actions on the fly. GWM Worlds 2 is a research preview with access by request, and it is not open source.
Strengths and limitations
Strengths
- Real-time video with generated audio
- Text actions addressed to individual characters
- Multiplayer roles and AI-agent control
- No preset session length
Limitations
- Research preview, access by request
- Fidelity drops with very fast camera movement
- Imperfect long-term memory
- Closed model
Who is GWM Worlds 2 for?
Interactive storytellers and studios who want to script or play multi-character scenes with sound, and teams testing AI agents in simulated worlds.
Frequently asked questions
What is WorldPrompt in GWM Worlds 2?
It is Runway's control format: a persistent description of the scene, characters and laws, plus a timestamped stream of text actions addressed to each character or to the scene.
Does GWM Worlds 2 generate sound?
Yes. It generates 48 kHz audio together with 720p, 24 FPS video in real time.
Can several people play GWM Worlds 2 together?
Yes. Each player can control a character while another acts as director, reshaping the world.
How do I access GWM Worlds 2?
It is a research preview; you can request access through Runway's research page.
How is GWM Worlds 2 different from GWM-1 Worlds?
It adds generated audio and much richer control: per-character text actions, scene-wide events, multiplayer roles and agent control.